The Annual MCB Department Retreat was held on 8/22/24 at the beautiful UConn Avery Point campus. Highlights include the presentation of MCB Summer Fellowship Awards, Research talks by new faculty members Dylan Murray and Kristen Ramsey, a Poster Session, food trucks, a lively trivia game, and announcement of the first annual MCB image competition winners.

See photos of the event!

MCB is excited to introduce our two newest faculty members, Dylan Murray and Kristin Ramsey.

Dylan Murray joins the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor. Murray earned his doctorate degree in molecular biophysics from Florida State University and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Murray’s research interest focuses on how microscopic molecules like proteins and DNA in humans and plants collectively produce much larger phenomena required to maintain life. His work has broad applications from fighting neurodegenerative disease and cancer to engineering plants to produce petrochemicals or to survive drought.
Read more about Dr. Murray - A Cool Spin on Large Biomolecular Complexes

Kristen Ramsey joins the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor. She received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Florida State University as a Goldwater Scholar and her doctoral degree at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Ramsey previously served as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. Her research is focused on integrating molecular biophysical approaches with cell-based functional assays to further understand the fundamental biology of pathogen-sensing and signaling by innate immune RNA sensors from humans, birds, and scavenger species.

We’re all getting older. But more Americans are old now than ever before—and that’s both a strain on the medical system and a scientific opportunity. University of Connecticut undergraduates can now study the biology of aging through a new program offered by the Institute for Systems Genomics and Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. See full article in UConn Today

Corey Theodore and Richard Whitehead have been named the 2023-2024 Outstanding MCB TAs in recognition of their outstanding contributions, professional dedication to inspiring student learning and commitment to education. Please join us in congratulating Corey and Richard on their notable accomplishments!

Author: Christine Ricci, PSM Manager

Organization

The Professional Science Master’s programs have been undergoing some changes over the past fiscal year.

Two new appointments in the administration of the PSM programs have been made.  First, Dr. Spencer Nyholm began as the new Director of the Applied Microbial Systems Analysis program.  Second, Christine Ricci is the new PSM Program Manager.

A small quiet study room was created in the Torrey Life Sciences Building within the PSM wing on the fourth floor specifically for PSM students use.  Future improvements include updating the general Microbial and Cell Biology graduate student lounge, also located on the fourth floor of the Torrey Life Sciences building.

Courses and Modules

PSM Modules continue to be popular and relevant to PSM students and other graduate students.  Some of the popular courses continue to be MCB 5427 Laboratory Techniques in Functional Genomics (all topics), MCB 5895 Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Flow Cytometry, MCB 5895 Introduction to R and R Studio, MCB 5895 Protein Purification, and MCB 5672 Advanced Theory and Practice of Laboratory Techniques in Microbiology: Advanced Liquid Handling and Sample Processing.

Internships Summer 2023

The PSM programs continue to have students intern at a variety of institutions.  Four students interned over Summer 2023.  Organizations included Weill Cornell in New York City, Torigen Pharmaceuticals, the Graf lab at UConn, and a six-month co-op at Merck.

Graduates

The PSM program congratulates five recent graduates!  Tejaswinee Kota (Applied Genomics) and Michael Piekarsky (Applied Biochemistry and Cell Biology) both graduated in December 2023.  Paige Ansich (Applied Biochemistry and Cell Biology) and Emily Karovic (Microbial Systems Analysis) graduated this past May and Yucheng Zhang and Rich Green will both finish this August. We are looking forward to following their careers!

PSM Professional Seminar Speakers:

Twenty-four speakers presented at the PSM Professional Seminar over 21 weeks, including seven PSM alums.  Speakers represented a range of professions from academia, industry, and government as well as various career stages from early (first job) through mid-career, and even retired.

Marketing

The PSM team initiated a strategic marketing plan to increase program awareness, attract new applicants, and most importantly foster a tight student and alumni community.  As part of this effort, a LinkedIn Page and Group were initiated in Spring 2024 to network with alumni, potential speakers, and potential students.  To showcase our ever-improving PSM space, a 4’ x 6’ banner was designed and hung on the fourth floor of the Torrey Life Sciences building to welcome students and guests.

In mid-April the PSM team hosted a booth at UConn’s Student Union to meet and engage with UConn undergraduates.  Interested students were from all academic years (first-years through graduating seniors). A number of outreach activities including attending graduate student fairs and open houses are planned for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Additionally, the PSM website was redesigned with many updates, new (or additional) content, graphics (including the updated PSM logo), and layout.  This new webpage will feature sections specifically designed for new and current students; notable alumni; and potential industrial, governmental, or academic collaborations.  If you’re interested in being a featured alumnus or collaborating with the PSM programs, please reach out to Christine Ricci at chr06004@uconn.edu.

Alumni

The PSM programs are actively reaching out and connecting with alumni.  If you are an alumnus looking to connect back with the PSM programs, please find us on LinkedIn and/or reach out to Christine Ricci at chr06004@uconn.edu.

Conclusions

Many changes have been happening in the PSM programs, from personnel changes to marketing strategies.  The PSM programs continue to train high quality students into the growing biotech workforce.  As our network strengthens, we hope to continue to improve and expand the programs

Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) has named Virginia Lyle King as a winner of the 2024 MBOC Paper of the Year Award for her research paper, F-actin–rich territories coordinate apoptosome assembly and caspase activation during DNA damage–induced intrinsic apoptosis. Awarded to the first author on a paper (grad student or postcoc), King was chosen by the Editorial Board of ASCB's science research journal, MBoC, as one of the best papers published from June of the previous year to May.

Dr. King (Virginia Lyle) received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut in the laboratory of Dr. Ken Campellone, and her B.S. in Biology at the University of Mary Washington.

Dr. King is an Associate of Cure Ventures with over 10 years of research experience. As a member of the Cure Ventures team, Lyle is involved in sourcing new deals, conducting due diligence, and assisting with company creation endeavors.

Most recently, she worked at the University of Connecticut as a graduate researcher where she gained extensive experience utilizing a broad range of genetic and molecular biology tools to study the spatiotemporal regulation of cellular stress responses in relation to human diseases, with a specific interest in cell death and cancer biology research. Her work established the actin cytoskeleton and actin-binding proteins as essential regulators of cell death and identified the importance of actin in coordinating the progression of apoptosis pathways. These discoveries bridged a longstanding gap between the cytoskeleton and apoptosis fields and provided new avenues for studying tumorigenesis. In addition to her academic research, Lyle cultivated effective leadership experience by mentoring junior scientists, teaching multiple courses in both laboratory and classroom settings, and volunteering for nonprofit educational programs that work to address the communication gap that exists between the general public and scientific communities.

Congratulations Dr. King!